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Restaurant News: Cheesie's Heads West, Parts And Labor Opens

By Lisa White in Food on Dec 18, 2013 11:00PM

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-Popular Lakeview grilled cheese headquarters Cheesie’s is heading west and opening a new location in Wicker Park. Wicker Park Bucktown Insider’s Guide reports that the restaurant is slated hopefully for opening next April. Also the plan is not only to include a new location of Cheesie’s but a bar called Whiskey Business that will offer a poutine bar with up to 20 toppings. The menu will also include “infused burgers” pasta and salads. The business will be located at 1365 N. Milwaukee Ave, across from Emporium Arcade. You can now spend your nights playing arcade games, drinking beer and then heading across the street to soak it all up with grilled cheese.

-The folks behind the popular pizza spot Boiler Room are opening their new classic hamburger joint tomorrow. Located in Logan Square at 2700 N. Milwaukee Ave, Parts and Labor will focus on classic griddle burgers (and for non-meat eaters a black bean patty as well). Much like the popular PB + J deal at Boiler Room (slice of pizza, PBR and a shot of Jameson), Parts and Labor will offer a combo meal as well. For $10 you’ll get a classic or black bean burger, one side and a beer or shot. Sides include the already curious sounding fried giardinara, fried pickles and curly fries. The combo beer list includes Hamms, Old Milwaukee and High Life (no craft beers in the combo club) and the shot list offers up such variety as Old Crow, Fernet Branca and Malort. Also on the menu are a variety of sodas and other beers, a few salads and a fried “twinkee” with raspberry sauce.

-The folks being Fountainhead and Bar on Buena just announced they are taking over the Copper House (former location of Jury’s), located at 4337 N. Lincoln Ave. The team will assume management of the existing business immediately and run the establishment under the interim name Meantime. Patrick Eberle, former general manager of Sheffield’s Beer and Wine Garden, has been hired and named the head of beverage. Meantime will serve a menu catered to the winter season (picture a lot of hearty warm dishes) before plans to close down the space in March and re-concept and open again in late spring. Details are still fuzzy but the company states that future information will be available in early February. We’re hoping that in the “Meantime,” Cleetus Friedman offers up some interesting fare similar to the inventive and thoughtful bites we’ve had at Fountainhead.